Multi-purpose wrench



g- 1962 w. WRIGLEY MULTI-PURPOSE WRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 21, 1960 WG/f'f L. Wrigley INVENTOR. BY 5 0404 3% and Aug. 21, 1962 w. L. WRIGLEY 3,049,952

MULTI-PURPOSE WRENCH Filed. March 21, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

Walter L. Wrigley JNVENTOR.

Mp way Em States Unite This invention relates to tools, and more particularly to wrenches.

An object of this invention is to provide a handy wrench for tightening, loosening, setting, adjusting, etc. one or both parts of a screw and nut assembly.

Briefly, the invention is embodied in a wrench which has a wrench body and a plunger slidably disposed in the body. A drive connection is established between the plunger and the body, and there is a screw turning tool attached to the plunger. Consequently, when the drive connection is established, the tool, ordinarily a shank, is rotated in response to rotational movement of the wrench body. However, when the drive connection is not established, the wrench body may rotate with respect to the screw-engaging member.

One end of the body has a socket to receive a nut, and the socket is coaxial with the handle so that the screwengaging member is capable of moving completely through the socket and of being withdrawn into the socket. In this way, the nut and/or screw of the assembly may be selectively rotated or rotated in unison.

Another object of the invention is to provide a very handy practical tool capable of use in restricted areas where other means are either a total failure or are very tedious and difficult to use.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the wrench showing it in use.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the wrench viewing the same at an angle different from that in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the wrench in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the wrench showing the wrench in the second position.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10---10 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional View taken on line 11-11 of FIGURE 4.

In the accompanying drawings, there is an illustration of a work piece 10 having a tapped opening 12 therein. This work piece diagrammatically represents any metal, plastic, etc. work piece having an opening to receive a screw 14. Nut 16 is adapted to be threaded onto the external threads of screw 14, and the screw has a driver opening 18 therein which may be of any conventional shape. The purpose of the tool has been briefly described previously. However, as is seen in a number of figures of the drawings, the screw 14 may be placed in a tapped opening such as opening 12; this screw may be merely adjusted; the nut 16 may be applied to the screw prior to, during or Patented Aug. 21, 1962 after installation of the screw and, further, the nut 18 may be tightened or loosened with respect to the screw. This is an incomplete listing of the possible uses of the wrench, but is suflicient to indicate multiple utility for the wrench.

Wrench 20 is made of a body 22 of generally cylindrical elongate formation. The body has a bore 24 therein in which a reciprocating plunger 26 is disposed. The plunger has a laterally opening groove 28 in the side wall thereof, terminating short of one end of the plunger and opening through the opposite end thereof. Accordingly, stop 30 is defined at one end of the groove. Spring 32 constitutes a yielding means by which to bias the plunger 26 in one direction, i.e., against the land 34 established at one end of the bore 24. The spring reacts on a piloted end of plunger 26 and a piloted plug 38 which is threaded into the open end of bore 24.

Passageway 40 is formed in the opposite end of the body 22 and is coaxial with bore 24. A screw-engaging member or screwdriver 42, for instance, a rod having a non-circular cross-section, is disposed in an elongate opening 44 formed coaxially within plunger 26. Therefore, the member 42 moves inwardly and outwardly of body 22 in accordance with the movements of plunger 26. Member 42 is engageable in opening 18 of a typical Allen screw 14.

There is means for establishing a drive connection between the body "22 and the plunger 26. This means comprises a short projection or pin 48 attached to body 22 and extending inwardly of groove 28'. However, the motion of plunger 26 inwardly of bore 24 is sufiicient to have the pin 48 move beneath the lower surface of plunger 26 (see FIGURE 4) so that the drive connection established by pin 48 and groove 28 is broken. In this adjustment of the wrench, rotation of the wrench 20 is not imparted to member 42.

An outwardly opening socket 50 is in one end of body 22. For hexagonal nuts, which are the most common in some types of work, the socket 56 will of course be hexagonal. The purpose of the socket is to receive typical nut 16 or the like and turn the not either relatively to typical screw 14 or in unison therewith, depending on the desires of the user. If the drive connection is established between the plunger and the body 22 of the tool 20 and member 42 is engaged with screw 14 and nut 16 is disposed in socket 50, both the nut and screw will be turned in unison. However, if the adjustment shown in FIGURE 4 prevails, nut 16 is rotated with respect to the screw 14 (assuming the screw to be tightly engaged in opening 12). Of course, nut 16 may be manipulated in the absence of screw 14, and the screw 14 may be turned in the absence of a nut.

By having the tool made elongate and thin, the tool may be used in very restricted spaces to perform a rather tedious operation ordinarily requiring the use, for instance, of an Allen wrench and an end wrench. The benefits are considered to be quite apparent since there is often very little space within which to work, and this space is definitely laterally restricted whereas a longitudinal clearance may exist directly toward the nut and screw.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. 'Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A wrench comprising an elongate body, said body having a bore, a plunger slidable in said bore, means for selectively establishing a drive connection between the r 3 plunger and the body and for disconnecting the plunger from the body, fastener engaging means carried by said plunger and movable therewith, and a second fastener engaging means operatively connected with said body and having the first-mentioned fastener engaging means projecting coaxially therethrough and therebeyond to an operative position, said drive connection establishing means comprising a slot in the side wall of said plunger open at one end of said plunger, and a projection carried by said body and engageable with said slot through the open end thereof, said slot being of a length less than the longitudinal dimension of the free space in the body beyond the other end of the plunger when in its extended position, whereby said plunger may be retracted to a position wherein the projection will be disengaged from the slot and engageable with said one end of said plunger for supporting same.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein said firstmentioned fastener engaging means comprises an elongate rod, said body having a passage coaxial with said bore, and said rod extending through said passage.

3. A fastener turning tool comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal bore therein, a retract'ible screwdriver rotatably andslidably mounted in the bore and projecting longitudinally therefrom when in an operative position, means for biasing the screwdriver to said operative position and for connecting same to said body for rotation therewith when in said operative position, and a nut receiving socket on the body concentric with the screwdriver.

4. .A fastener turning tool comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal bore therein, a retractible screwdriver rotatably and slidably mounted in the bore and projecting longitudinally therefrom when in an operative position, means for biasing the screwdriver to said operative position and for connecting same to said body for rotation therewith when in said operative position, and a nut receiving socket on the body concentric with the screw driver, said means including a spring loaded plunger rotatably and slidably mounted in the bore and afiixed to the screwdriver, said plunger having a longitudinal groove therein open at one end of the plunger, and a lug in the body slidably engageable in the groove through the open end thereof, said groove being of a length less than the longitudinal dimension of the free space in the bore beyond the other end of the plunger when it its extended position, whereby said plunger may be retracted to a position wherein the lug will be disengaged from the groove for engagement with said one end of the plunger for supporting same.

5. A fastener turning tool comprising an elongated tubnlar body, a nut receiving socket on one end of said body, a retractible screwdriver rotatably and slidably mounted in the body and projecting longitudinally from said one end thereof through the socket to an operative position, and means for connecting said screwdriver to said body for rotation therewith when in said operative position, said means including a spring-loaded plunger rotatably and slidably mounted in the bore and afiixed to the screwdriver, said plunger having a longitudinal groove therein open at one end of the plunger and a lug in the body slidably engageable in the groove through the open end thereof, said groove'being of a length less than the longitudinal dimension of the free space in the body beyond the other end of the plunger when in its extended position, whereby said plunger may be retracted to a position wherein the lug will be disengaged from the groove for engagement with said one end of the plunger for supporting same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,318,088 Klein Oct. 7, 1919 1,325,070 Andrews Dec. 16, 1919 1,885,579 Boynton Nov. 1,1932 2,566,543 Weglarz Sept. 4, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 581,511 Great Britain Oct, 5. 1946 

